The Emissions Gap Report 2013

A UNEP Synthesis Report

About the Report

The Copenhagen Accord called on parties to the UNFCCC to submit voluntary emission reduction pledges for the year 2020. To date, 32 parties have heeded that call. Emission reduction pledges contribute towards meeting the target of the parties to the UNFCCC to limit the increase in global average temperature to 2°C, compared to its pre-industrial levels.

But are the pledges for 2020 enough to keep the world on track to meet the 2°C target? Or will there be a gap between ambition and reality?

Since 2010, the United Nations Environment Programme has convened scientists from all over the world to answer these two questions. The material accessible through this page represents the fourth update of the so-called Emissions Gap report. It highlights that there is a gap and suggests options for bridging it.

The report presents the latest estimates of the emissions gap in 2020 and provides plentiful information about:

current (2010) and projected (2020) levels of global greenhouse gas emissions, both in the absence of additional policies and consistent with national pledge implementation

the implications of starting decided emission reductions now or in the coming decades

agricultural development policies that can help increase yields, reduce fertilizer usage and bring about other benefits, while reducing emissions of greenhouse gases

international cooperative initiatives that, while potentially overlapping with pledges, can complement them and help bridge the emissions gap

This project is part of the International climate initiative. The Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safely supports this initiative on the basis of a decision adopted by the German Bundestag

Supported by:
Based on a decision of the parliament of the Federal Republic of Germany